Countess digs in to show support for Health for Life

Health chiefs officially marked the launch of the Health for Life programme, by rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in.

On Thursday 18 August, senior NHS leaders showed their support for the Health for Life programme at the Countess of Chester Country Park by joining in one of the popular weekly health sessions.

The park now offers weekly health walks and activities for people of all ages, encouraging us all to get fit and healthy in the great outdoors, with sessions currently taking place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and lunchtimes, aiming to fit in with different staff hours.

Alistair Cook, Health for Life Project Officer, said: “The Countess of Chester Country Park, right next to the hospital is a fantastic setting that provides a haven of green space for everybody. Our regular sessions are on Tuesdays and Thursdays but I’ll happily look at other dates and times to suit demand. So don’t sit about - get in touch and come and enjoy the park.

Participants have already said that the sessions are great for their health, meeting new people, having fun and doing some exercise.”

Spending time in nature and doing activities, such as gardening are not only fun and great ways to socialise, they are also really beneficial for physical and mental health, as more and more research is proving.

Kevin Eccles, Head of Development Programme at the hospital said “We’re so pleased that this programme is running right on the doorstep of our Chester bases and I want to encourage all staff to take up this opportunity. This is not just a great opportunity for local residents, but it’s important that staff feel they can benefit from it as well. We want our staff to be fit and healthy, so they can look after our patients.”

Green Gym activities take place every Tuesday and Thursday 10.30am – 12.30pm

Health walks currently take place every Tuesday and Thursday at 1.30pm

All groups meet at the Countess of Chester Country Park car park off Countess Way.

The Health for Life programme aims to maximise the use of the Country Park, by improving the health of local residents and hospital staff and patients and is a result of a partnership project between the Land Trust, TCV, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Mersey Forest.

The project is part-funded by Nature4Health – a three-year project funded by The Big Lottery's ‘Reaching Communities’ programme that aims to redress health inequalities and is co-ordinated by The Mersey Forest.

The aim is to support 12 new people each week through their chosen 12-week beginners’ activity programme and throughout the programme, participants will be monitored with results feeding into a study to hopefully demonstrate how being more active and spending time outdoors can help people’s health and wellbeing, such as contributing towards stress reduction, mental illnesses, lower back pain, cardiovascular illnesses and obesity among others.